Broken
by thessaly fuchsia
Summary: Clark has been captured by Lionel and Morgan Edge and is being experimented on in a lab. It's an AU from the episode Shattered. This is a TC fic. UPDATED.
1. Default Chapter

This is the first fanfic that I've ever written so feedback would be very appreciated!

Disclaimer: These are not my characters, they belong to the WB, DC comics, Al Gough and Miles Miller.

Rating: PG

A/N: I don't get the WB so please take into consideration that I haven't seen the 4th season yet, I've been watching the show on ABC Family. I just saw Shattered yesterday and this fic was born out of the idea of what would have happened if Morgan Edge and Lionel had managed to capture Clark and subdue Lex when Clark was affected by Edge's meteor rock necklace thingy.

Broken

When Clark awoke the pain had abetted somewhat to a dull, throbbing ache. He tried to twist around to a more comfortable position but in his weakened condition he couldn't move a muscle. Clark was still chained to the cold metal surface of the table. The chains gleamed a ghastly green in the bright glaring light of the lab. The light shining down upon him glowed a brilliant green; Clark knew that it had kryptonite components in it that helped to keep him in a weak state. Clark didn't know how long he had been tied up in the laboratory; it felt as if it had been for months. Men in white coats had hovered over him, injecting him with burning kryptonite chemicals that had made him writhe and scream in agony as he twisted about upon the table. The scientists had grown into faceless blurs after awhile, his mind hazed and muddled by the pain. They had also operated on him, cutting through his skin with sharp knives and examining his insides carefully. The pain had been so acute that he had blacked out a few times. He had been tied up to the table the entire time, except for one day when they had taken him to a small room adjoining the lab. The room had been lined with kryptonite and had a kryptonite tiled floor. They had thrown him into the room and had studied how long he would be able to stand it under these conditions. Clark had never been in such pain before in his life. Now as he lay upon the table he could feel the pain abetting somewhat, but he had a feeling that this was only the precursor to worse things to come. And he was right. Suddenly he heard the lab door slam open and the sharp sound of expensive shoes walking towards the table.

"Well, Kal. How are we doing? Having a fun time?" a voice gloated. Clark weakly turned his head and saw Morgan Edge bending over him, a grin of predatory delight upon his face. Although he had changed his face and even his voice, Clark would know that twisted, evil grin anywhere.

"Wh-Where am I at?" Clark managed to gasp out through the pain.

Morgan laughed. "You're at Cadmus Labs, Kal. You're the scientific property of LuthorCorp now."

Clark felt his stomach drop as he stared into Morgan Edge's malevolent eyes. He knew that if he had been captured by Lionel Luthor then he was in deeper trouble than he had at first realized.

Suddenly the lab door opened again and someone else entered the room. Tied to the table, Clark could not see who it was until the heard the familiar hated voice ringing out. "And how is Mr. Kent doing?"

Edge laughed. "He's not doing too well, Lionel. This kid was one lucky find, wasn't he?"

"He'll be of great benefit to science." Lionel smirked, and Clark could now see his bearded face as he bent to gloat over his new trophy.

"You'll not get away with-" Clark began, but suddenly broke down into a coughing fit. Both men smirked at each other. Edge chuckled.

"We won't get away with it, Kal? And who's going to stop us?"

"Lex won't let you do this." Clark said when he had managed to get his breath back.

Edge burst out into loud, spiteful laughter at this. Lionel rubbed his bearded face thoughtfully. "You're such good friends with my son, Mr. Kent." He purred, "Would you like to speak with Lex?"

Feeling an awful foreboding in the pit of his stomach, Clark nodded.

Lionel whispered something to Edge and then exited the lab. Edge still bent over Clark, his mouth twisted into a vicious smirk of pure delight. Suddenly the lab door opened again and Lionel reentered the room. Clark then heard a sound that chilled his very blood.

"Hush little baby, don't say a word, mama's going to buy you a mocking bird."

Edge turned a lever on the side of the table that Clark was lying on and suddenly it was raised so that Clark could see the inhabitants of the room. Lex was standing there, holding a folded up blanket in his arms and singing softly to it, just like he had done in the barn. His eyes were bloodshot and crazed, there was an insane smile upon his face as he gazed down at the blanket in his arms.

"Lex-" Clark said, shocked.

Lex's head shot up. He smiled a truly deranged smile at Clark. "Shhh, Clark. Don't wake the baby. Dad will be angry if you wake him up."

"You see, Kal, poor Lex here has gone incurably insane." Edge chuckled. "What with all of the drugs and electric shock therapy we've been giving him these last six months, he's now completely insane. We don't even have to drug him anymore."

Lionel looked regretful. "It's quite sad, Mr. Kent. We've had all of the best doctors in the world to look at him but they all say that he's incurable."

"Lex-" Clark sobbed, staring at his friend, "I wasn't able to save you." Suddenly his green eyes turned towards the two men who were gloating over him, and they both flinched under the anger in those eyes. "You're both monsters. I'm not going to let you get away with this." Clark's voice was low with rage.

"You're not in a position for threats, Mr. Kent." Lionel said, his eyes narrowing with hatred. Suddenly he turned towards his son. "Lex, why don't you go take the baby over there and sit with him for awhile?" he put a gentle hand on his son's shoulder and led him across the room to a chair that was sitting there. Still singing softly to the blanket, Lex sat down.

Then Lionel walked back to the table Clark was strapped on. "Now, Mr. Kent. We have a few moreexperiments we'd like to do…"

TBC...


	2. crushed

A week later...

Clark ached all over from the results of the experiments that he had been put through that week. The day before Lionel had been curious to see how long it would take Clark's bones to heal under the effects of the meteor rock. He had ordered the scientists to shatter the bones in Clark's right arm and then had charted the healing process. The scientists in the laboratory were now attatching electrobes all over Clark's body. Lionel had expressed the desire to see what would occur when "the specimin" was given severe electric shock.

"Will the specimin react the same way that a regular human would?" Lionel mused, staring down at Clark's prone body. "I've studied and charted my own son's experiences with electric shock therapy and it should be interesting to compare and contrast the two."

"Let me talk to my parents." Clark rasped out in a hoarse voice, "At least let me call my parents and talk to them. I know they're worried about me. I won't tell them where I'm at, just let me speak with them!"

"I'm sorry Clark, but your father is having more than enough difficulties of his own without having to worry about you." Lionel sneered.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with my dad?" Clark cried out, his face growing pale.

"I'm afraid that your father is in prison, Clark." Lionel said in a mock serious tone, "It's most unfortunate, but he showed up at my offices ranting and raving and threatening me. For some strange reason he seemed to be under the impression that I was the one responsible for your disappearance." Lionel smiled wolfishly at Clark. "I'm afraid that he physically attacked me and I was regrettably forced to alert the police. He's in prison now pending trial with no bail set."

"You're a monster!" Clark spat, his face full of rage, "Just think of all of the lives you've ruined! Mine, my father's, even your own son's!"

Lionel tsk'd. "If only people wouldn't get in the way then they wouldn't get hurt. Take Ms. Sullivan for example. She's a bright young lady, perhaps a bit too bright for her own good. Unfortunatly she's become involved with things that she should have stayed out of and..." Lionel didn't finish his sentence, but instead only shrugged enigmatically.

Clark's face blanched, then set into lines of anger. "What have you done with Chloe! You better not have hurt her, you-" he began, then suddenly screamed in pain. One of the scientists had turned on the machine that the electrobes were attatched to and the electricity began coursing throughout Clark's body. With a slight smile on his face Lionel calmly watched Clark's body thrash and writhe from the electricity, his face distorted in the deepest agony.

"Let's see how many hours the specimin can stand it." Lionel said to the scientists.

When they finally turned the machine off Clark felt as if he was going to die. He groaned, drawing in harsh, rasping breaths, desperately trying to keep his sanity and clarity. Every so often his eyes would wander towards the corner of the lab where Lex was sitting, and he would shudder. He had a horrible feeling that if he let himself break under the strain of the torture then he would end up just like Lex, insane and singing to himself in a corner. It pained Clark deeply to see what his friend had become, and he winced when he observed that Lex was walking towards the table.

"What are you doing, Lex?" Lionel asked in a mocking, indulgent tone.

"I want to show Clark the baby." Lex said, "He wants to see the baby, don't you, Clark?" he suddenly began to laugh insanely. Clark couldn't help but shudder at the crazed light that he saw in his friend's eyes.

"Show Clark the baby then." Lionel said, humoring Lex. Ignoring his obviously deranged son, Lionel went back to studying the test results with the scientists. Lex began humming a lullaby, then started singing it softly under his breath. He leaned over Clark, holding the folded blanket up to him.

"Rock a bye, baby," he sang, so softly that only Clark could distinguish the words, "in the treetop, when it's 6:00, the camera's will be turned off, then I'll help you get free, and you'll take this key, and my people will be waiting, to free you and me." he sang. Clark felt something cold and hard in the folded blanket that was pressed up against his hand. It was a small key. Clark peered sharply into Lex's face. Lex stared back at him, his eyes calm and sane. "Hide it." he mouthed, nodding towards the key. Clark nodded, glancing over at the scientists and Lionel. They were still going over the test results, Lionel arguing loudly about something. Clark subtly slipped the small key into his mouth, holding it under his tongue. Lex smiled, then in a loud voice he said, "Clark, the baby won't stop crying. I can't get him to stop crying!"

"Lex," Lionel looked up in annoyance. "I think that Clark's seen as much of the baby that he wants to see. These nice gentlemen have some business with young Mr. Kent."

Lex backed away from the table, cradleing the blanket in his arms and singing to it again. The scientists clustered about Clark, their eyes dead and dark as they began to get out sharp dissecting tools.

Martha Kent sat at the kitchen table, a mug of untouched coffee clasped lightly in her shaking hands. She closed her eyes briefly, tears spilling gently down her face as she thought of her missing son and her imprisoned husband. Suddenly there was a sharp knock on the front door. Martha wearily got to her feet and unsteadily walked to the front door. On opening it, she was shocked to see Lana Lang standing there, her face pale and streaked with tears.

"Lana, did something happen? What's wrong?" Martha cried out, horrified by the grief and misery on the young girl's face.

"It's-It's Chloe." Lana sobbed, "She's been in a car accident. She's at the hospital and they don't know if she'll live."

Martha reeled back, her hand clutching her heart. Another disaster. How much heartbreak could they take?

"Lana, I-I don't know what to say-" Martha stuttered in a weak voice. "I-"

"She called me right before the accident." Lana interrupted, "She was talking on her cell phone in her car. She was really excited, she said that she had a suspicion of what had happened to Clark and that she had evidence against Lionel Luthor. She was just telling me what she'd learned when I heard this horrible screeching noise and a crash and...that was it." Lana began to cry again. Martha hugged the crying girl, her own eyes glistening with tears.


	3. cracked

Clark flinched as one of the scientists made a small incision in his right shoulder. Because of the effects of the kryptonite, Clark's shattered right arm had failed to heal properly and it ached brutally. Pain throbbed throughout Clark's body, and he felt a sick weakness roll over him. Since the electric shock he had felt weaker than he had ever felt before. Abashed, Clark suddenly remembered that whenever he had been shocked by electricity before around kryptonite he had experienced a loss of powers. Clark was dismayed; he had no idea how Lex's escape plan was going to work if he couldn't use his powers. The scientist made another cut deeper into Clark's shoulder and he gritted his teeth from the burning pain of the blade. Clark breathed heavily as blood trickled down his chest. They made a deep cut into Clark's chest and he whimpered, biting down a cry of pain. Every once in a while the scientists would look warily over at Lionel, who still stood fuming over the test results. Just as they were about to make the incision into Clark's skin deeper, they were suddenly interrupted by the angry sound of Lionel's voice.

"I still don't understand it!" Lionel spat out, enraged, as he flipped through the test results. "Why are the results showing nothing? Lex's results were much better than these after electric-shock therapy. Of course it's only to be expected that Lex's results would be better than a regular person's because of his elevated white blood cell count, but the specimen is not a normal human being! His results should have been far better than my son's!"

"We don't know what happened, sir. The other tests have went so well, we don't know what's wrong with this one." one of the scientists, a short fat man, said fearfully.

Lionel scoffed. "You're supposed to be trained professionals and yet you don't even know why one of your experiments have failed? The specimen's results were the same as a normal teenage boy's would have been! How do you explain that?"

"We've told you, we don't know, sir." One of the scientists said fearfully, the scalpel in his hands hovering over Clark's chest.

Despite the pain he was in, Clark smiled grimly to himself, knowing that because of his loss of powers Lionel's tests would now be useless.

Lionel's face was etched in anger, he suddenly flung the papers violently back onto the table. "Someone has made a mistake here. These are not the results I was looking for." he said in a low, threatening voice.

The hand of the scientist who was holding the scalpel trembled as he stared into the menacing eyes of his employer. "S-S-Sir, I-I" he stuttered terrified. "I'm sorry that you didn't get the test results that you had hoped for. I-"

Lionel waved his apology away. "I'm surrounded by incompetent fools. You are all fired. Now get out of my sight."

"But sir!" the scientist piped up, shocked.

"Do not make me tell you to leave again." Lionel said darkly, staring the quaking scientist down. "And if you tell anyone about the experiments that you have witnessed, you will not live to regret it since you won't be alive to regret anything. Do you understand?"

The group of scientists nodded fearfully, then quickly left the labratory.

"Lionel, what's going on here?" Morgan Edge asked as he entered the room, staring at the departing scientists.

"Those fools proved to be inefficient. I can get any top scientist I want with just a phone call. I don't have to put up with quakes and fools." Lionel snarled.

Edge shrugged at this, and then walked over to the metal table that Clark was chained to. "Hey, Kal. How's it going?" Edge asked in a mock casual voice, lighting a cigarette. He puffed on it for a few seconds, and then suddenly held the burning end of the cigarette to Clark's hurt arm. Clark hissed in pain, while Edge chuckled. "Don't sound so good." he said, grinning.

"It's almost 5:00." Lionel said, glancing over at the digital clock on the table. "Tonight I'll make some calls and bring in a new group of scientists tomorrow. I'm sure they'll be fascinated by our prize specimen." he sneered. "Oh, and Morgan, why don't you come over to my place for dinner? There's some important business matters that I need to speak to you about."

"Alright." Edge said a bit warily. As Lionel gathered the papers and test results together, Morgan Edge stared thoughtfully down at Clark. "I wonder if he can live without a heart or a brain?" Edge said in a musing voice.

"I would like to do some experiments on his brain. Perhaps a lobotomy." Lionel said. "But that can wait for later. Lex, come on, we're going home now." he snapped. Lex obediently walked over to his father, still clutching the blanket to his chest. "I'll bring the new group of scientists in tomorrow morning." Lionel promised.

"Good, good." Edge said, "Well, see you tomorrow, Kal." he called back as the three men exited the room. The security guard who stood in front of the lab door nodded at the three men as they left the room. The lights in the lab dimmed, leaving Clark in near darkness except for the red flashing light of the security camera that was in the top left hand corner of the room. He watched this camera, and watched the digital clock that was sitting on the table where the scientists took their notes. At 5:59 he held his breath. The second the numbers changed to 6:00 the red light under the camera suddenly stopped flashing and Clark went to work.

Clark managed to maneuver his chained left hand around until he could put it up to his mouth. He spat the key out into his left hand. It took him about fifteen minutes to try and position the key into the keyhole on the manacle that was around the wrist of his left hand. His loss of powers and the kryptonite had weakened him considerably, and he was still in excrutiating pain. He had to stop a few times, panting heavily and wincing from the pain he was in. His body was drenched with sweat and his chest was still bleeding from the cuts. Clark had to bend his wrist in an uncomfortable position in order for him to get the key into the keyhole. Luckily the keyhole was on the inside of his wrist so he was able to finally get the key in. He felt it slide in, then gave it a twist and the manacle popped off. Clark then went to work on taking the other chains off.

* * *

At Lionel's penthouse, Morgan Edge and Lionel were having a before dinner drink in Lionel's study. Edge took a long swallow of the scotch that Lionel's butler had poured him, then stared warily over at Lionel. Lionel smiled benevolently back at him, but Edge had learned not to trust Lionel's sincerity. Although they had been childhood friends, Lionel was a crooked, poisonous snake and Morgan didn't trust him one bit. "So, Lionel, what are those business matters you need to speak with me about?" he asked suspiciously.

Lionel shook his head. "We'll discuss business after dinner." he promised.

Edge nodded, but didn't feel any less suspicious of Lionel's intentions. So, what do you think of-" he was beginning, when suddenly he was interrupted by the sound of singing.

"And if that mockingbird don't sing,  
Mama's going to buy you a diamond ring."

Edge looked over to the armchair in the corner of the study, where Lex was sitting singing to himself. Lex had been singing to the "baby" all evening and it was really starting to grate on Edge's nerves. He took another swallow of scotch, and suddenly his sight blurred a bit. I must be overtired, he thought, taking another drink.

"And if that diamond ring turns brass,  
Mama's going to buy you a looking glass."

Edge was definitely feeling a little dizzy now. He took another drink of the scotch, hoping that the alcohol would help wake him up. The dizziness became even worse, and he started seeing everything in double. Beside of him he heard Lionel stumble to his feet, then trip and fall to the floor, a small end table and lamp crashing to the floor as he fell.

"And if that looking glass gets broke,  
Mama's going to buy you a billy goat."

"The scotch...it's been drugged." Lionel managed to rasp out. "Somebody's drugged the scotch!"

"And if that billy goat won't pull,  
Mama's going to buy you a cart and bull."

Edge lurched to his feet but collapsed next to Lionel. Lionel's eyes were now closed and he was breathing heavily. Edge felt his own eyes close, and soon he was unconscious.

Lex stopped singing and stared intently at the two unconscious men. He placed the blanket on the floor then walked over to the men, bending down to make sure they were unconscious. Then he slipped quietly from the room, locking the door behind him.

* * *

Martha Kent stared down in sadness at the pale girl in the hospital bed before her. Lana sat in a chair by Chloe's bed, tears streaming down her face. Gabe Sullivan paced worriedly up and down the hallway outside the hospital room, glancing into the room's observation window every now and then to see if there was any improvement. Suddenly Lana gasped, Chloe's eyes had fluttered.

"Chloe!" she cried out.

Chloe's eyes opened slowly, and she gazed blearily around. "L-Lana?" she said in a slow, halting voice.

"Chloe, you're alright!" Lana sobbed.

Chloe's eyes lingered about the room, until they alighted upon Martha's Kent's face and suddenly they sharpened. "C-Clark." she gasped.

Martha bent over Chloe and took her hand. "What about Clark, Chloe?" she asked fearfully.

"L-Lionel Luthor has Clark." Chloe whispered, "He has Clark at one of his labs. I-I don't know which one but-" she suddenly grimaced in pain, her face paling even more. "I-I'm sorry, but it hurts...so bad!" she gasped. Martha squeezed her hand and Lana rushed to get a nurse. "It's okay, honey." Martha said, "It's all going to be alright. Just you rest. Clark's going to be okay."

"Save...Clark." Chloe whispered, before she lost consiousness again. Martha squeezed Chloe's hand again before leaving the room when the nurses and doctors rushed in. She walked out into the hallway and toward the hospital exit, a determined look upon her face.

"Mrs.Kent! Where are you going?" Lana suddenly cried out, rushing down the hall towards Martha.

"I'm going to pay Lionel Luthor a visit." Martha said in a grim, yet determined voice.

TBC....


	4. fractured

Martha stood in front of Lionel Luthor's Metropolis penthouse, resolved and unwavering in what she planned to do. She had just spent a small fortune on a three hour taxi drive from Smallville to Metropolis, and now she was going to confront the lion in his den. Squaring her shoulders, she moved to climb up the steps of the building when she was halted by the sound of her name.

"Mrs. Kent!" someone hissed close by. She looked around, then spotted a figure in the shadows of the building.

"Who's there?" she called out warily, stepping back a few paces as the figure moved forward.

"Mrs. Kent, it's me, Lex Luthor."

This did not reassure Matha. From all that she had heard, Lex Luthor was now incurably insane. She recalled how he had shown up at the farm, ranting and raving at them, and how Clark had left with him. She had not seen Clark since that day. Her heart constricted with sorrow when she thought about this.

"Mrs. Kent, I know where your son is being held." Lex stated in a low voice.

Martha froze, her heart pounding. "You know where Clark's at?"

Lex nodded. "But we need to go some place safe to talk about this."

Martha hesitated, then nodded and followed the young man down the street. They slipped through alleys and yards until they reached what looked to be an abandoned apartment building. They went up the front steps and Lex unlocked the old, creaking door. Inside it was all dust and shadows. Lex flipped on a light in the front hall and the glare of the bare light bulb shone dismally upon the surroundings. They were in a old and dirty room, bare of any furniture and with crumbling walls covered with peeling, yellowed wallpaper that reminded Lex disturbingly of dead skin.

"It's not exactly my usual style, I know." Lex said in a rueful tone, gazing around at the dim and dingy room. "But this is the one place that I can be sure of that my father doesn't know about and won't have bugged."

"What do you know about Clark?" Martha asked, not even noticing her surroundings in her worry over her son.

"My father has him locked up in Cadmus Labs. He's been doing experiments on him." Lex said tonelessly.

Martha's eyes widened with shock. "Oh my god." she breathed. "Have you see him? How is he?"

Lex looked grim. "He's pretty bad off. My father thinks that I'm insane and so has pretty much been ignoring me. He doesn't think I'm a threat anymore. I've been plotting Clark's escape behind his back. Mrs. Kent, I have to admit that I know Clark's secret. My father has been taking me to the lab in order to keep an eye on me when he's there and so I've discovered the fact that Clark isn't necessarily human."

Martha closed her eyes, then sighed wearily. "Lex, you have to promise that you'll never reveal Clark's secret to a living soul. Promise me that!" her voice sounded high and strained in her own ears, and she fought to keep her panic down. It was the Kent's greatest fear, that someone would discover Clark's secret. And for that person to be a Luthor!

Lex nodded firmly. "Mrs. Kent, you can trust me with Clark's secret. I won't tell a living soul." Martha looked into Lex's eyes as he said this, and it seemed as if he were telling the truth. She didn't know if she completely trusted him, but she really had no choice in the matter. And if Lex could help her rescue Clark, then she would trust him with her very life and soul. So she nodded.

"Mrs. Kent, I have a few loyal people still working secretly for me and we've concocted a plan to break Clark out of the lab. Don't worry, they have no idea why Clark is being held by my father. They wouldn't put it past my father to do experiments on a normal teenage boy. The rescue attempt will be tonight. In fact, I was just heading that way. You can stay here until things are safe and-"

"I'm coming with you." Martha said in a firm, decided tone.

"Mrs. Kent, it's going to be dangerous-"

Martha crossed her arms across her chest and fixed Lex with a lethal stare. "Lex Luthor, don't you tell me that I can't help rescue my own son. The only way that you can keep me from coming with you is if you knock me over the head until I'm unconscious. Do you want to try that?" she glared at him, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

Lex sighed. "Far be it from me to keep a mother from her cub. Alright, you can come with me. We're suppose to meet my people outside of Cadmus Labs. They'll have subdued the guards and turned off the alarms and camera's."

Martha took a deep breath. "We'd better get going then." she said.

* * *

After taking the chains off Clark was presented with the problem of walking. Clark wasn't sure if he would be able to walk. A few days ago Lionel had been curious about Clark's reflexes and had decided to test them out by having the scientists stick tiny sharp pins into the bottoms of Clark's feet. The pain had been blinding and the bottoms of his feet were still sore and blistered from the pins.

Clark slid off of the table, planting his feet on the floor, hissing when the sore bottoms of his feet touched the lab floor. Cautiously he put his weight upon his feet, only to cry out in pain and fall to his knees. Clark breathed heavily for a few seconds, trying to pull himself together and ignore the stinging hurt. He once again tried to pull himself to his feet by grabbing onto the side of the metal table. Clark suddenly collapsed onto his right side, slamming against his shattered arm. He screamed in agony as the bones in the arm splintered and broke even more. He lay silently for a few minutes, a quivering, shaking pool of agony and pain. Clark began to cough violently, spitting up blood. He raised his head, determined to try and walk again, but the room started to turn and soon he was unconscious.

* * *

A woman with long blonde hair greeted Lex and Martha at one of the side doors to Cadmus Labs. Martha couldn't see her face very well; it was lowered and the brim of the baseball cap she was wearing left it in shadows. Her long blonde hair also partially hid her face. "Everything going fine, Sophie?" Lex asked, barely sparing her a glance, preoccupied with the fine details of the escape plan. Sophie nodded silently. A tall man in a black overcoat joined them at the door. "Sir, the guards have been subdued and the alarm has been dismantled."

"Good work, Phillips." Lex said, then turned to Martha. "Mrs. Kent, are you sure that you can bear to see this? Many of the things that my father has put Clark through has been rather gruesome. It was hard enough for me to watch it, I can only imagine how difficult it would be for a mother."

Martha paled, but raised her chin resolutely. "Lex, you should know that won't stop a mother. On the contrary. If my boy's hurt then I want to see him and comfort him."

Lex stared silently at Martha for a few seconds, then nodded. They slipped through the door into the dark recesses of Cadmus Labs. The guards lay in huddled heaps beside of the doorway, knocked out cold. Martha paid no heed to them, her mind only on her hurt child. Their footsteps echoed bleakly as they walked down the vast halls that made up Cadmus Labs. Two of Lex's people met them in front of the door to the stairway that would take them to the lab that Clark was locked in.

"I'll lead the way." Lex whispered. "I want us to split into two groups when we get up there. Phillips, I want you, Bradley and Jordan to take care of Clark. When we've managed to get Clark you'll take him and go down the stairwell on the far end of the hall and leave by the side door next to the offices. Mrs. Kent, Sophie and I will take the back door that leads from the kitchens. We'll meet up near the dumpsters and take the van that's waiting there. Any questions?"

"No sir!" Phillips said smartly.

"Alright then. Let's get to it." Lex said grimly.

* * *

Lex was right. Martha wasn't prepared for the state that Clark was in. He lay passed out on his stomach on the floor of the lab, drenched in sweat and his body streaked red with blood. One of his arms was curled up beside of his head and the other arm was stiff and twisted by his side, obviously broken. His back was marked with dark bruises and red glaring burn marks. The only clothing that he wore was a filthy pair of sweatpants. Regardless of the blood and dirt, Martha threw herself down beside of her son and gently gathered him into her arms. Although he was over 6 ft. tall, he looked almost like a child in his mother's arms. She smoothed his hair back from his forehead, and his eyes fluttered open.

"Mom?" he said in a weak voice, wincing from the pain of his bruised and broken body.

Martha nodded, gasping back tears. "It's me, honey. I've come to take you home."

"Mom...I've missed you so much!" he managed to choke out. Martha hugged him even tighter.

"Everything's going to be fine now, sweetheart. We're going to get you out of here and take you back to Smallville." Martha gently brushed his sweat drenched hair back from his forehead. His eyes glistening with unshed tears, he smiled up at his mother. Although his face was pale and wracked by pain, the smile he gave his mother seemed to lighten up the whole room.

"Clark, can you walk?" Lex asked, kneeling down beside of Mrs. Kent.

"Yes..." Clark said, then his brow furrowed. "Mom, they gave me electric shock...I've lost my powers." he whispered, so low that the only people who could hear him were Lex and Martha.

"That's alright sweetie." Martha said as she and Lex helped Clark to his feet. "We'll fix everything once we get back to Smallville."

"The kryptonite doesn't affect me anymore." Clark gasped when he tried to take a step, the pain shooting like lightening through his battered body. His mother took him by the hand, squeezing it in encouragement. He took another step, and it hurt a bit less.

"That will actually make it easier for us to get you out of here." Lex said, "My father has the entire grounds of Cadmus Labs saturated with the meteor rock. That was one of the things I was worried about most." He turned to the other people in the room. "Phillips, you and Bradley and Jordan help Clark get out of here and down to the van. Sophie, you'll come with me and Martha."

"Yes sir." Sophie said in a low voice. Phillips and Bradley got on either side of Clark, both of them helping to support him as he walked.

"Martha, we'll meet up with them at the van." Lex said. Martha looked at her son longingly, unwilling to leave him. Lex put a gentle hand upon Martha's shoulder and she smiled weakly up at him. Then she put her arms around Clark and hugged him tightly.

"I'll see you soon, Clark."

"Mom, it's going to be okay." Clark whispered, "It's all going to be okay."

Martha nodded tearfully, then reluctantly let her son go. Lex led her gently from the room, Sophie trailing respectfully behind them.

* * *

They had just reached the door to the kitchens when the sound of shots rang out from behind them. Lex cursed under his breath, turning around sharply. "It's my father's people. They've discovered that we're here."

"Oh my god, Clark!" Martha cried, and began to run down the hallway back towards the lab. "We've got to save him."

Lex ran after her, grabbing her roughly by the arm and restraining her. "Martha, you'll get yourself killed! My people have guns and can protect Clark. Besides, those shots are coming towards our direction. That's why I split up, just in case this happened. They'll think that Clark's with us and come after us! They may not even know where Clark is. You'll jeopardize things if you go barreling into them! Do you understand?"

Her face pale and drawn with worry, Martha nodded. "I understand." she said in a low, strained voice.

"We've got to get out of here quick." Lex said sharply.

"I don't think so."

Lex and Martha whipped around to come face to face with Sophie. She was holding a gun on them, her face twisted into a smirk.

She suddenly swept her hand through her hair, knocking the baseball cap off and tugging the blonde wig she was wearing off with a flourish. Waves of long dark hair tumbled onto her shoulders. "Lex." the woman drawled, "It's a pleasure to see you again."

Lex gave her a level stare. "So you're working for my father now? Aren't you aware of how dangerous that can be? So what happened to the real Sophie Brown? Is she floating at the bottom of the river by now? "

She laughed. "Don't worry about her. She's tied up unconsious in a janitor's closet. I must admit, Lex, that I'm surprised that you didn't even notice me."

"I've been a bit preoccupied and busy." Lex said wryly. "What are you doing here? Why are you working for my father, Helen?"

Helen shrugged. "After our little fiasco on the plane, Lionel managed to track me down and offer me the job of spying on the lab. It's my job to make sure that nobody steals his prized specimen. You can imagine my surprise when I saw the supposedly insane Lex Luthor show up and try to bust his little friend out."

"My people have already got Clark to safety. Dad's not going to be all that happy that you've let Clark slip away." Lex smirked.

Helen smiled. "Lionel's people will catch him. I'm sure Lionel will be more than happy with that. And he'll also be grateful for the return of his poor insane son, of course. Your daddy will have a nice room in Belle Reve picked out just for you."

Lex shook his head. "You've slipped up Helen, or we wouldn't have been able to get this far in. Dad will never forgive you for it. Even if his people manage to get Clark back Dad will still hold it against you for letting Clark get away in the first place."

"Shut up, Lex!"

"Helen, let us go and we'll let you come with us. I promise that I'll see to it that Dad can never hurt you. You know how dangerous he is and that you can't trust him."

"And I can trust you? After trying to kill you? I don't think so, Lex. I'm safer with Lionel than with you. You're on the losing side anyway." Helen said, scowling. "There's no way you can beat Lionel."

"Helen, he's going to be furious with you for letting Clark escape. Think of what he's done to me, and I'm his own son. Let us go and I'll make sure that he'll never be able to track down your whereabouts again."

Helen shook her head, "Lex, there's something that you've never been able to see. You fight and fight against it, but you won't admit that it's true."

"And what would that be?"

"That your father always wins. Now get moving." she gestured the gun at them. Martha and Lex looked wearily at one another, then let themselves be shepherded out of the building and into a LuthorCorp van that was waiting for them. Martha closed her eyes tightly, praying that her son would somehow make it to safety. Lex closed his eyes also, although he wasn't praying. He was thinking as hard as he could of a way that they could get out of the mess that they were in.

* * *

Clark took slow, stumbling steps down the stairwell, wincing with pain at each step, but with Bradley and Phillips helping to support him they soon made it to the bottom of the steps and out the side door. They made their way to the dumpsters where the van was parked. The dumpsters were placed in front of a rickety wooden fence that surrounded a used car lot which was situated beside of Cadmus Labs. The van was parked directly in front of the dumpsters. When they reached the dumpsters Clark looked eagerly around for his mother and Lex.

Suddenly the sound of gunshots was heard. Jordan cursed and drew out his gun. "Looks like Lionel's boys know we're here." he muttered. Suddenly the sound of a shot rang out and Bradley yelped, a red splotch appearing on his once white shirt. He fell in a heap to the ground. Clark staggered, trying to get his bearings.

Jordan fired back, cursing violently. "We'll get those b-" he started to say when another gun shot was heard and he also collapsed, shot in the head. A group of men were bearing down on them from around the building, guns drawn and firing at them.

Phillips grabbed Clark and hauled him behind the van. He fired around the van at the men, then turned to Clark. "Listen, kid. You've got to get out of here. Go between these dumpsters and sneak off through the car lot while I distract them. I know your're hurt but you seem like a strong guy, and I'm sure you'll make it. It's dark enough that they won't see you. Hurry now!"

"But my mom...Lex..."

"Kid, they ain't out here and so I'm guessing that they've heard the shots and went a different way. Lex Luthor isn't stupid enough to walk your mom into the middle of a firing range. Now get out of here! You can make it if you go now!"

Clark silently cursed his lack of powers. He had never felt so helpless before in his life. "But what about you?"

The man sighed. "Will you get out of here? I've been in worse situations than this, kid. I'll make it out of here okay. But neither of us is going to make it if you don't get a move on. Get out of here now!" he fired around the van again.

Taking a deep breath, Clark managed to stagger to his feet, hunch down, and slip between the dumpsters and through the broken slats of the wooden fence which was behind the dumpsters. Still hunched down, he sneaked silently and painfully through the car lot, weaving in and out of the cars and listening to the gunshots which still came from the direction of Cadmus Labs. The pain became so intense that Clark had to stop a few times. It was extremely difficult for him to walk and he knew that there was no way that he could outrun the men if they spotted him. Soon he came to a chain length fence that luckily had an open gate. Slipping through the gate, Clark came out onto an empty back lot. He staggered through the lot, only being able to walk by sheer force of will and momentum. He trudged down an alley that backed the lot, coming out onto another empty lot. He trudged down this lot and soon came upon another dark alley. Clark was at a breaking point by this time. He collapsed in the alley, and managed to push himself against the crumbling brick wall of the building. He lay limp and defenseless, his breath coming in deep heavy pants. He crawled over to a large pile of garbage and debris and hid behind it. This was all that he managed to do to hide himself before he lost consciousness.


	5. smashed

A/N Sorry for the long update, here's the next part.

"Hey, look, it's some homeless kid!"

"What's he doing in our alley?"

"Hey kid, what're you doing on our turf?"

Clark awoke to the feel of a sharp kick in his gut. Groaning, he rolled over and blearily gazed at the shadowy figures bending over him. He squinted, trying to make them out. It was a group of kids around his own age, dressed in matching leather jackets and with nasty, sneering expressions on their faces. One of them kicked him again. Clark doubled up, gasping at the sharp pains shooting through his stomach. The kids laughed harshly.

"Looks like he's going to cry."

"Oooh, does he want his mommy?"

"Hey, why don't you get up and fight?"

Like wolves moving in for the kill the gang began to beat up on Clark in earnest, joking around and laughing as they did so. Clark was so weak and his body so broken and bruised by all that he had went through previously that he was unable to even defend himself. He could only lay curled up, with his hands covering his head. One of the gang members tore Clark's hands away from his head and delivered a sharp kick to his face. Clark gagged as the blood spurted from his injured nose. The gang member drew his fist back and punched Clark repeatedly in the face. Clark could feel his eyes and lips swell up, and a low groan escaped from his mouth. He tried to get to his feet but only fell back down, and this made the gang members laugh even harder. He had no strength to run but he did manage to crawl painfully over the broken glass that littered the alley, flinching as the glass ground its way into his hurt skin. The gang members grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him down, throwing him onto his sore back. Clark dully wondered if he could die now that he had lost his powers. He wandered in and out of consciousness as the gang members continued to mercilessly beat up on him. He was so dulled by the pain now that he barely felt the kicks and punches that rained down upon him. As he lost consciousness he dully wondered if he would ever see Smallville again…

When Clark resumed consciousness it was to the feel of a cool cloth being held against his forehead. He found himself staring up into the large brown eyes of what looked to be a fifteen-year old girl. The girl smiled down at him, wiping his forehead gently with the cloth.

"Hey, you've woken up!" she said in a relieved voice. "I was really worried about you."

"Where am I?" Clark said groggily, trying to sit up. He winced as sharp pains seemed to explode within his head. The girl pushed him back down gently onto the mattress that he was lying on.

"Easy now! You're pretty beat up. My brother Blaine brought you here." Clark gingerly rose on his elbows a bit, gazing around. He was in what looked to be an old factory. A group of kids of various ages were standing around the mattress he was laying on, staring at him in open curiosity. They were all thin and unwashed and dressed in old, ragged clothing. Clark glanced down at his body and saw that all of his wounds had been spread with a cool, healing ointment and wrapped in thick bandages. Clark was still sore all over and he had a terrible headache but the pain had muted considerably.

"Blaine's always bringing home strays." the girl said, smiling. "Oh, my name's Lizzie, by the way."

"Lizzie's good with medicine and helping us when we get hurt or sick." one of the other kids explained. "She steals a lot of the stuff from the hospital down the street." He explained happily. Lizzie glared over at him, then turned back to Clark.

"You've been out cold for hours." Lizzie explained. "We were thinking of taking you to the hospital but we didn't know if that would be a good idea or not..." her voice trailed off uncertainly.

"If you're in trouble with the authorities or a runaway like most of us are then we guessed that you wouldn't want to go to the hospital." the boy explained.

"You're right. I'd rather not go to the hospital." Clark said weakly. He looked around again at all of the kids gathered around his mattress. "Do all of you live here together?" he asked.

"Yup. We don't have any families or homes so we look after ourselves." Lizzie said proudly. "We do a pretty good job too. This factory is only used every so often so we've made it into our home. Are you a runaway or something?"

"It's...hard to explain." Clark said

"Don't worry, we won't pry into your business. That's one of our rules, not to get into each other's business. You've been beat up bad. Let me guess, it was Max and his gang, wasn't it? They're always picking on us."

"I don't know who it was…" Clark gasped out in pain, and the girl put the cloth back on his forehead. "Hey, you can stay here with us if you want. At least, until you get back on your feet again."

"You can stay longer if you help to pull your own weight." a tall, dark haired boy said as he entered the room. "Hey, I'm Blaine, Lizzie's brother."

"My name's um, Jared." Clark said, not wanting to give his real name.

"Cool. So like Lizzie said, you can stay with us for a bit until you get better. And if you want you can stay with us longer, we always need more hands around to do things."

"Thanks," Clark smiled weakly up at the older boy. He suddenly felt dizzy, and he lay back onto the mattress again. Soon he was fast asleep.

_Two Weeks Later_

After two weeks Clark felt almost as good as new again, although he was still without his powers. The homeless kids who lived in the factory were nice enough to him, especially Lizzie and her brother Blaine. Lizzie seemed to have taken Clark under her wing and she spent all of her time with him, giving him food and medicine and bandaging him up. Clark had the distinct uncomfortable impression that she had a slight crush on him, which made him feel a bit guilty. Although Clark liked Lizzie well enough and was grateful for all that she had done for him, he didn't have the same moonstruck feelings towards her as he felt towards Lana Lang, or the same strange mixed-up confusion of feelings that he felt towards Chloe. Clark winced a bit; thinking about Lana and Chloe made his head hurt and his heart thump dangerously.

Clark was in a disused area of the factory that had once been the manager's office. He was sitting in an old rickety chair near the window, basking in the late afternoon sunlight. He was wearing a soft black t-shirt, a pair of faded blue jeans, and some sneakers that Lizzie had managed to find for him. The other kids had gone to scrounge around for food and had left Clark in charge of the factory while they were gone. Clark was healed physically, but mentally he felt like a wreck. His time in the lab still haunted him and he was worried sick about his mother and Lex. He had no idea if they had managed to get away or if they had been captured by Lionel's thugs. Or if something worse had happened to them…Clark shook his head, his mind refusing to even consider the last possibility. Clark was worried about his father also. He knew that Jonathan was probably going through hell worrying about his wife and his son. Clark had wondered if he should try calling his home or Lex's mansion but he had no idea who might be listening in. He wouldn't put it past Lionel to bug either his parent's or Lex's phone. Now that Clark was healed though he knew that soon he would make the trip back to Smallville. He was eagerly looking forward to this. Not only was he worried to death over his parents; he was also worried about Chloe. Lionel had strongly hinted that Chloe was in danger and Clark couldn't bear to think of what his life would be like without her. Clark knew also that soon he would have to confront Lionel, but this time he would be better prepared. Still feeling a bit woozy, Clark lounged sleepily on the chair, and was just about to doze off when he heard the sound of footsteps.

When the door opened he thought that it was the kids returning. He rose from his chair, turning to greet them, when suddenly he froze. Standing in the doorway with a smug, satisfied look upon his face was Morgan Edge, and standing behind him was a group of his goons.

"Hey Kal." Edge smirked as he entered the room. "Did you really think you could hide from us for too long?" he walked casually over to Clark, tossing a piece of kryptonite into the air and catching it, a snide smile upon his face. Clark realized that Edge had no idea that he had lost his powers, and that the kryptonite would have no effect on him. Clark decided to use this to his advantage. He pretended to wince away from the kryptonite, and Edge laughed, holding it closer. "I'm tired of being Lionel's lapdog." Edge growled as he thrust the kryptonite into Clark's face. Clark gasped out, pretending to be in pain. "If Lionel thinks I'm just going to hand you over to him he's got another thing coming. I've had to put up with too much from him, getting drugged by that crazy son of his and then Lionel blaming me for your escape. I'm sick to death of all of the Luthors." Edge's fist shot out and he slammed it against Clark's head. Clark fell back in real pain this time, and Edge laughed. He knelt down beside of Clark. Clark held a hand to his throbbing forehead, feeling a trickle of blood run down his face.

Edge held the kryptonite closer to Clark's face. "If you thought it was hell being under Luthor's thumb, just wait until I get through with you." He growled angrily, "I'm going to repay you for all that you've done to me, and then your going to make my fortune, Kal" He punched Clark in the face again, and chuckled when Clark cried out in pain. He held the kryptonite under Clark's nose. "Not feeling too good, are we, Kal?" Edge smirked. It was at that second that Clark lunged and grabbed the piece of kryptonite, shoving Edge out of his way and scattering Edge's goons as he ran out the door.

"What the hell? After him, you idiots!" Edge screamed at the top of his lungs.

Clark suddenly knew exactly what he was going to do. Grasping the piece of kryptonite against his chest, he began to run down the dark lengths of the factory, Edge and his goons stumbling along behind him. "Kal, you can't outrun me!" Edge gasped out. Clark ignored him. Even with his loss of powers he knew that he was faster than the middle aged gangster and his bumbling minions. Clark ran down a ramp and soon came to the basement area. He glanced around, trying to find the area that he was seeking. He suddenly spotted a door marked: DANGER: HIGH VOLTAGE AREA. Without pause Clark shot through the door.

He was now in a long, dark hallway. There was a gang of breaker boxes against the walls of the hallway and Clark rushed over to one of them. Clutching the kryptonite to his chest, he ripped the breaker box off the wall without switching off the main switch and then stuck the hand holding the kryptonite into the electrical wires inside. Clark was instantly zapped, intense pain shooting through him as the electricity coursed throughout his body. He was thrown about ten feet, landing heavily against the wall. Clark lay still for a few seconds, marveling at the rush of power and strength that now came over his body. Then he rose to his feet, a look of fearless determination on his face. He walked over and stood to face Morgan Edge and his minions who had stumbled into the hallway. They stopped short, bewildered by the fact that Clark was not running from them. Clark crossed his arms over his chest, staring them down.

"Edge, give it up!" Clark said in a hard, strong voice.

Edge glanced at him warily, realizing without quite knowing why that there was something different about Clark. "Quick, give me some more of the meteor rock!" he hissed to his goons.

"Boss, that was the last of the green stuff!" one of them hissed back.

"Well, give me the other type, it should work just as well." Edge growled, snatching a handkerchief wrapped parcel from him. "Kal, you'd better watch out, we've got meteor rock here." Edge tried to sound threatening but his voice wavered a bit as he stared at the stern expression on the young man before him. "Wait, Kal, if you want to know what Lionel's done with your mother then you'll leave me alone!"

Clark's face blanched, then grew black with anger. "What have you done with my mother?" he advanced threateningly upon the men. The goons backed away quickly, but Edge stood his ground, secure in the knowledge of the meteor rock he held clenched behind his back.

Edge walked over to Clark, quaking inwardly at the look on Clark's face. "You'll never see your mother again, Kal." He said in a gleeful, hateful voice. "Luthor's boys captured her and his son. Your mother's dead meat, Kal. Lionel's probably had her shot or drowned by now. She's swimming with the fishes right now and-" Morgan was interrupted suddenly when Clark grabbed him by the shirt and tossed him through the air. He landed in a pile of boxes at the far end of the hallway. He lay breathing heavily and winced when Clark approached.

"You're lying." Clark said in a hard voice, a voice that very few people had ever heard Clark Kent use. "My mother's not dead. Now, where is she?"

Clark reached down to pick Morgan up again but as he was bent over Morgan's hand shot out and he thrust something small and red into the pocket of Clark's shirt. Clark straightened up quickly, a strange look coming over his face. Edge looked up at him eagerly, waiting for Clark to fall down and start squirming like he usually did under the influence of the green kryptonite. Edge was disappointed in this, however. Clark didn't fall down, in fact, Clark didn't appear to be in any pain at all. Clark stared at Edge silently for a few minutes, an enigmatic smile upon his face. Then he started to laugh.

The goons approached Clark warily, guns raised. Smiling wickedly, Clark easily tossed all of them away, then advanced on Edge. "Morgan," he said in a lazy, dangerous tone. "I'm getting a bit tired of these games you and Lionel keep playing."

"I don't get it…" Edge whined, trying to crawl away from the towering figure above him. "Why didn't the meteor rock work? It's always worked before."

Clark smirked. "Let's just say the red meteor rock has a totally different effect on me." Reaching down, he grabbed the protesting Edge and slung him over his shoulder. "Now, I think I'd like to pay a visit on my good friend Lionel Luthor. I'd like to repay you both for the hospitable treatment that you've given me."


End file.
